Off to the social media

adminonDecember 2, 2021January 27, 2022Leave a Comment

Get on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like.If the church is not present in the digital media, it misses an important part of the reality of people’s lives, according to the media expert of the Roman Curia, Bishop Paul Tighe.

The Church must always ask itself what it means to live in a changing cultural world, Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, emphasized in an interview with the Austrian news agency Kathpress with regard to social media.

Prayer support on Twitter

"The best ideas will not come from Rome, but from all over the world," says Tighe. He pointed to existing initiatives such as the "Sacred Space" project, which posts daily impulses online, or parish priests offering prayer support on Twitter. The bishop spoke at the conference "Christianity and Mediality" of the Institute for World Church and Mission in Frankfurt.

Language should also be able to surprise

At the meeting, which ended on Friday, Tighe spoke about the mission of the church on the "digital continent. Many people can no longer understand the language of the church, it is too serious and intellectual. Tighe therefore pleaded for a language that could also surprise sometimes.

"We are not expected to be humorous, but when we are, people take us seriously," he told Kathpress. Social networks allow immediate feedback and show what is important to people. The point, he said, is to engage in debates already underway "instead of answering questions that no one is asking".

Patients in the waiting room © Maurizio Gambarini

The healthcare system – great. The solidarity system – great. According to a survey, Germans give structures high marks – especially if they themselves are healthy. The picture changes in the case of one’s own illness.

Germans are satisfied with the healthcare system in general, the solidarity principle of the statutory health insurance funds, GP care and the fairness of the system. This is the result of the representative "Opinion Pulse Health", which was presented by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in Berlin on Wednesday.

Young and healthy people are particularly satisfied. Approval ratings worsen when one’s health is struggling and looking to the future.

More satisfied than ever

Forsa commissioned TK to conduct a representative survey of 2,000 people in January and February for "Meinungspuls".001 adults surveyed. This is the eleventh time that the health insurance fund has had the survey carried out. But Germans have never been as satisfied as they are at present in any previous survey, explained CEO Jens Baas.

According to the report, 55 percent are satisfied with the health care system, while another 29 percent are very or completely satisfied. Especially among the younger generation, the 18- to 25-year-olds, the very positive attitude is pronounced: 43 percent are here very or completely satisfied.

Satisfaction increases with salary

Significant differences emerge, however, when respondents are analyzed in more detail. Thus the satisfaction with rising salary turns out larger. Among low-income earners, with less than 1.500 euros net per month, the high level of satisfaction is 19 percent. More than 3 percent of the population come to the health care system each month.000 euros in the budget together, the large approval is 28 percent, and from 4.000 euros net, the figure is 37 percent.

The survey also shows a clear connection between one’s own state of health and satisfaction with the care system. One-third of those in good health also give the system high marks. Of those who struggle with their health, it’s a quarter.

The same applies to the question of the fairness of the health care system. Again, approval is higher among fit respondents. The opinion that the health care system is unfair is more prevalent among those who are sick or ill. On average, however, the majority is convinced that the system is fair.

Praise for solidarity principle

83 percent also think the solidarity principle in statutory health insurance is good. "The younger generation in particular is behind this principle," said Baas. For example, approval of the solidarity system is particularly high among 18- to 39-year-olds, at 88 percent. At the same time, three quarters believe that everyone should have the option of choosing between statutory and private insurance.

According to the survey, just under 90 percent currently have statutory health insurance, while the rest have private health insurance. Against this backdrop, a good half believe that the German healthcare system is fit for the future. Digital technologies and networking will bring progress, according to 80 percent of respondents.

When it comes to communication in particular, younger people are betting on further developments – such as making appointments online. At the same time, the majority attaches great importance to data protection.

Waiting for deadline sucks

Despite the belief in future viability, the expectation of performance in relation to contribution is rather meager. 91 percent of those surveyed believe that contributions to the health insurance funds will increase, but do not expect any improvement in the scope of benefits. More than half even expect the range of services offered by the statutory health insurance system to become narrower in the future. Fifty-eight percent would accept higher premiums and co-payments to maintain current benefit levels.

When asked about medical care, satisfaction prevails again. 85 percent are satisfied with outpatient care at their local doctor’s office. If the specialist comes into play, the majority is annoyed by the wait for an appointment. When it comes to hospitals, respondents are primarily interested in the quality and experience of the doctors.

Asked about the future, pessimism also emerges here: 43 percent expect a decline in quality of care.

Silence has settled over Grefrath like a veil. In the already tranquil town on the Lower Rhine, there is hardly a person on the street on this Friday morning. In these minutes, police and prosecutors are informing the public about how ten-year-old Mirco was victimized almost five months ago by Olaf H. became.

People in Grefrath want to know how this tragedy came about. They stay at home – in front of the TV. Several broadcasters broadcast the statements of the head of the "Mirco" task force, Ingo Thiel.

Speechless Manfred Fernbach sits in front of the TV in his electrical store. Thiel is talking about the confessed perpetrator right now. The 45-year-old suspected murderer of Mirco is said to have been a devoted family man. "The man seems to be sick," is Fernbach’s first reaction. He himself is a multiple father and grandfather. It is completely incomprehensible that the man from the nearby Schwalmtal should have done such a deed. "It gets under your skin," says Fernbach in a weak voice.

Even if the horror about the crime of Olaf H. is not as great as it seems. In Grefrath, the thoughts of the people here also revolve around the family of the perpetrator. "How are the man’s children ever going to be happy again?" asks Fernbach. His daughter sits next to him. But she does not give him an answer. Their silence is an expression of grief and lack of composure.

"What goes on in such a head"
A small vegetable stall is set up just a few meters from the electrical store. The market woman talks to a couple about the new findings in the Mirco case. Asked about the confessed perpetrator, the saleswoman gets angry. "I just can’t imagine what goes on in someone’s head like that," she says. She does not even want to think about what Mirco’s family has gone through in the last few months.

A passerby directs the conversation to the family of Olaf H.: "You can’t really go on living around here anymore. That is simply not possible. Too much has happened for that." The fate of victim and perpetrator family touches people in Grefrath in equal measure.

School mourns Mir
Nevertheless, normal school business prevails at the Grefrather school center on this Friday, even if the case Mirco is naturally also a topic here. The then ten-year-old went to the community high school. A flag now flies at half-mast at the entrance to the school grounds. In the classes, the teachers talk to their students about the sad certainty that Mirco is dead.

Even though the perpetrator has been caught and is in custody, many parents are still picking up their children from school. That’s how they’ve been doing it for the past 145 days, ever since Mirco disappeared. "This feeling of uncertainty and fear will be remembered for a long time," says a mother as her nine-year-old daughter climbs into the car.

When Mirco disappeared at the beginning of September, many people from Grefrath came together in the Catholic parish church for a joint church service. Now that the boy’s death has become a certainty, there will probably be a memorial service next week. Then family, friends, relatives and all Grefrather can mourn together and say goodbye to the boy.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply